Aug 27 to Sept 6, 2010

Greetings from Kanab, Utah! (details to follow, stay tuned)
Sue & I headed south on the I-5 toward Portland, but instead of going through town, we decided to go around Portland via the I-205, to pick up the I-84 east of the city. After fueling up we were headed down the 205 when we saw signs for the Columbia Gorge..we quickly exited to hwy 14 and proceded thru the river gorge area; however, we couldn't see much from this side of the river--too many trees. Well this twisting/turning/up/down road seemed to go on forever. Seeing a sign that said jct interstate 82=138 miles, we decided to find a place to cross the river (rather than get lost somewhere in Washington), and soon we lucked upon a $1.00 toll bridge at Hood River (town). We had lunch at Taco Bell (a familiar setting) then got on the I-84 toward La Grande, stopping to look at a huge dam, the dalles near The Dalles as well as good views of the gorge. A welcome bonus was the delicious grilled steak & chicken dinner Dan & Katherine fixed for us that evening.
On Sunday it was nice out, so we got on the Honda for a joyride. First we stopped at the nearby rest stop for maps & Oregon Trail info, then went onto the 203 toward Union, OR. This old town (1862) has an historic hotel, school and many old houses. On the way back we stopped to see Hot Lake with it's 203 degree water & steam coming off it.
The next several days were spent surfing the web (with much difficulty-weak pirated wifi signal), working on an extension to Dan's workshop, playing video games, watching dvds, playing cards & dominoes with the Austins, doing laundry and going out for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant.
On Friday the 3rd of September we went to the town of Elgin, where Dan works as a machinist at the Boise sawmill. Risking life, limb and his job, Dan led us on a grand tour of the facility. The tour took us through the processes whereby a log is turned into a 2X4 board. The second half of the tour took us thru the plywood making facility, the highlight being a killer machine that takes a log and shaves a thin layer around & around the log 'til theres nothing left but a core not much larger than a broomstick! Seeing what all is involved in the lumber making process, it's easy to see why prices are so high for wood..
The next morning we all got up at the butt-crack of dawn & took off down hwy 82 to the first of many stops along the Wallowa River, for a day-long fly-fishing adventure. Sue and I both quickly caught our first trout using a flyreel, then we moved on to another spot up the river..no one warned us about the treacherous walking conditions along the bank--we got a real workout. At one point the rod separated into 2 halves, one half trying to escape downstream! Well I tracked the pole down, as it snagged on some rocks; it was quite a chase for a few minutes! A little later our spot required us (only Dan & I at this point) to wade across a small fast-moving stream to get to the river. Where I went across, there were several large bulls waiting to greet me--one in particular was giving me the "evil eye"...I survived that encounter and with daylight waning and not much luck (except for Dan) we headed back toward La Grande, where we stopped for dinner at a Chinese buffet.
Sunday was spent shooting pool with Dan at Bud Jackson's Bar & Grill, where I experienced my first order of dry nachos (I wouldn't recommend them, even while drinking beer). Monday was a day for last-day visiting with the Austins, washing the RV and other preparations for leaving tomorrow. Looks like we will be heading back to the Boise area on our way to southern Utah...
Our heartfelt thanks go out to Dan & Katherine for their fellowship and supreme hospitality!